Come Sail Away
by Gravity In the Air
Summary: Eighteen year old Molly Rose, better known as Mal, has loved all things Disney all her life. She'd been thrilled to be accepted into Disney's college program. At least she was until a not so charming affair led to a pink plus sign. Before she can take on her new role as mommy someone steals her newborn from the hospital. Two years later Emma is found on board a Disney Cruise ship.
1. Chapter 1

prompt from evilregal13: mal is emma's biological mother. no magic. david has an affair with mal after finding out his wife can't have kids. mary margaret gets jealous and angry. she and david kidnap emma. emma finds her way back to mal as a toddler.

yes regina is in this. yes there will be eventual SwanQueen when the girls are grown. no cora & henry senior. shoutout in it for anyone who correctly guesses who raises regina. (hint: it is not zelena)

this is an **AU** story!

unfortunately i do not own ouat. there'd be all kinds of changes if i did. hope you enjoy.

 **OUATOUATOUAT**

"Hello? Is this Molly Rose?"

"Depends on who this is."

"Lane Fa, Orange County Sheriff. I'm calling regarding Emmalin Rose."

Mal's face instantly drained of all colour, shocked into silence.

"Ma'am? Is this Molly Rose?"

"I, uh, y- yeah, yes. I'm, you can call me Mal. Everyone does. Uh, what about Emma?"

"We've located your daughter, Ma'am"

The breath left Mal's lungs in a whoosh. She'd never expected this day to come. She'd always held out hope, but as the days had ticked on, her reality of getting Emma back had dwindled hour by hour.

"I, oh, where is she? I can be there as fast as a plane can go."

"Orlando, Florida."

"Seriously? She's been there the whole time?"

Lane frowned at the phone. "I just got told to make the phone call. I'm not familiar with your case. We were working a drug sting on a cruise ship and found her."

"I'm in Nashville right now. I can be there in three hours. Where am I going?"

"If you call us with the flight information we can have an officer meet you at the airport."

Mal agreed before hanging up and frantically racing to pack a carry on suitcase. She quickly called her sister Kathryn.

"Whoa, Mal? Honey, slow down. Are you okay?"

"Emma."

"Emma? Did something happen? Molly, you need to breathe. I can't hear you over the crying."

"Found her. Gotta go. Need you."

"Okay, take some deep breaths. I'll be right there. Do I need a passport?"

"Orlando. She was, I should have known. Everything is always fucking Disney."

"Fucking Disney is how Emma happened, Mal. I'll be right there"

Kathryn always had to be a smart ass. Mal didn't fuck Disney. She'd met a man she'd become star stuck with. At eighteen, she'd thought David Nolan had set the stars in the sky. He was twenty six and had an official job with Disney, not just an internship, but that didn't seem to stop him from paying her special attention. He'd take her out to lunch, help her with park layout. He invited her to off park hangouts. David had taken her on all the best coaster rides, shown her all the park secrets. He made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. Man, had she'd been an absolutely naive _girl_ to think that he'd loved her.

David had failed to mention that he was married, to Snow White of all people. The irony of Snow and Prince Charming actually being married. Mal had heard rumours of David seeing Mary, but he'd never told her he was married to her. Somehow it had never come up in the four months he'd spent charming her out of her pants. At least until the pink plus sign came. Everything came out then, including Mary in a violent rage.

Mal had been absolutely terrified. She had graduated high school a year early to get to college faster. Her plans certainly hadn't involved getting pregnant. She turned to her older sister, too afraid to tell her parents. Kat had gone with her to the doctor. The first ultrasound that showed the tiny bean that turned out to be Emma had made it very real though.

The pregnancy hadn't gone over well with her mother Ingrid. Her father was disappointed to say the least. Mal wasn't sure whether her mom wanted to kill her or David more. Kat had been the one to help her, take her to all the appointments and make sure she took her vitamins and ate properly. When they'd found out the bean was a girl, Kat had made her a lilac and mint green nursery in her home.

Emma had been such a tiny baby bump. Mal hadn't even needed maternity clothes. Three tiny stretchmarks on her hips were the only evidence she'd had of being pregnant at all. Mal almost wished there was more proof, something people could see and definitively know she'd had a child. Her baby had been eager to make her appearance and had come five weeks early. Ingrid finally came around then after a screaming, frantic phone call from Kat. She assisted Kat holding Mal's hand and providing encouragement to get her through the delivery.

The women hadn't even gotten to take Emma home. The hospital had allowed someone to sneak in and steal her baby. Were it not for her family and friends, Mal would have been completely destroyed. They'd refused to allow her to self destruct. She wouldn't have been there right now to get the phone call that her baby was alive.

Whoever had taken her baby, her little Emma, had been skilled. The police had called whoever it was a bandit. Mal had called them every name in existence and a few invented ones. The search for Emma had been nationwide at first, but the longer nothing came of it, even the original detectives had lost hope. They'd stopped sending out flyers and running her photo. It no longer made headlines. Mal had been desperate to do anything, to keep people looking. she'd known her baby was alive and out there somewhere. The image of blue-grey eyes and pale blonde hair haunted her every time she closed her eyes. Now Emma was going to come home.

A frantic knocking at Mal's door brought her back to present. She opened it to find her sister and her best friend Ruby there. They looked as equally discombobulated as Mal felt. She was grateful they were with her. This wasn't something she could get through by herself.

"Molly, wipe your face off and tell me what's going on."

"Ugh, why must you call me that? We need to go now! They found Emma."

"What? Stop a minute. Who found Emmalin where?"

"Kathryn, to the car! My baby is out there. I didn't get any answers beyond Emma is in Orlando. Please, just move!"

Ruby grabbed Mal's bag as they rushed to the car. "We're going back to Orlando. You going to be okay?"

The words didn't register until Mal was in the car, buckling up. She released the belt and spun to face Ruby. "Holy shit, Red! We're going back to Orlando!"

Kat sighed. Her sister had always been obsessed with Disney, the villains in particular. Maleficent was Molly's favourite. One summer, when Molly was about four, she wore the costume every single day, earning her the nickname Mal. The Disney college program had been a natural choice for her. She'd been over the moon when Disney World had accepted her audition to play Maleficent. David had gone and ruined everything. Mal had burned everything Snow White in the house. She'd even tried banning her and their mother from eating apples. She hadn't stepped foot near Disney anything family had been through hell and back with the pregnancy and then Emma getting kidnapped. Kat couldn't believe that Emma had finally been found. She had so many questions.

"Mal, am I going as your sister for moral support, or am I going as your lawyer?"

Mal shrugged. "I just need someone to be with me, so I called you. If I need a lawyer, you're there, but I asked you to come as my sister. I'm terrified. What if it's not Emma? What if they made a mistake somehow and I'm already so excited to see her again, but it's not her? What if it is her? Emma doesn't know me. What if she hates me?"

Ruby leaned through the center console and hugged her best friend as well as she could with the seat in the way. "Emma is going to love you. You are her mother. Even if she doesn't know you right now, she will get to know you. You'll get to know her. It's gonna be okay. It's her. They wouldn't have called otherwise."

The drive to the airport and most the two hour plane ride was spent trying to calm Mal down. They all had a lot of questions and very few answers at the moment.

"I need a lorazepam."

Kat shook her head no. "You can't. You need to be a sober mind frame for meeting Emma. No pills."

"My lungs are going to burst. I can't do this. I'm only twenty. I don't know anything about being a mother."

"Molly, don't start. I sat through six months by your side while we read dozens of parenting books. I held your hand through nineteen hours of labour. I held that little girl in my arms. I watched you hold her. The look on your face, all was right with the world in that moment. You can do this. You're not alone. You've never been alone in this."

"Am I supposed to call David and tell him Emma has been found? Did they already do that? What am I supposed to do?"

Ruby's gaze narrowed. "That asshat can find out on his own. Where has he been the last two years? It certainly hasn't been supporting you, that's for damn sure!"

A tall man with dark brown hair in a sheriff's uniform was holding a sign for Molly 'Mal" Rose. The three women practically ran over to him.

"Ladies, I take it one of you is Molly Rose?"

"I am, but please call me Mal. I'm not really into the whole Molly thing."

The officer appraised the young woman, eyes roaming over her skin tight distressed jeans, green converse, and black tank top. "Humbert, Graham Humbert. I wish I could say it was nice to meet you. At least given the circumstances, this story has a positive ending."

Was he insulting her? Why wasn't it nice to meet her? Mal suddenly wished she was in her business attire. Maybe he wouldn't be judging her so harshly then. "I wasn't expecting to rush here or I'd have dressed better. Take me to my daughter!"

"Emma is currently in a private hospital room at Florida Hospital for Children. We've a few detectives and a social worker with her. She's safe."

"Why is she in the hospital? What's wrong with her?"

"The child was found on the cruise ship having an allergy attack or asthma problems or… Look, all I know is that she wasn't breathing normally. The doctors have her stabilized. I'll take you right over."

"What was she doing on a cruise ship? She's two. Does that mean you caught whoever took her? Did you call her father? Can I take her home? Are you certain it's Emma?"

"Ms. Rose, I was assigned to pick you up. I really don't know anything. I'm sure the senior officer in charge will be able to tell you more. All I know right now is that about ten people were arrested. Your daughter was found and her picture and fingerprints hit in the system as Emmalin Rose. I'm sure my guys and the doctors will do a DNA test just to be sure."

"Can you turn on your sirens? I've spent 18,271 hours without my baby. I want to be with her immediately."

Kat sighed. She wanted to be with Emma too, but not at the risk of them going to jail over Mal's mouth. "Excuse her. My sister hasn't seen Emma since she was two days old. We'd all really like to see her."

"Right, and you are?"

"Her older sister, Kathryn. Please, we've been waiting over two years for this moment."

"Two years, one month, and nine hours." Mal didn't need a clock or calendar to tell her how long. It haunted her every day.

Graham felt bad for them being in this situation. He was happy he could at least deliver a positive ending though. Flipping on the sirens, he flew through the streets to the hospital before walking them upstairs to his boss. "Perry, this is the mother, the aunt, and the godmother."

Kyle shook his head. Graham was a damn fine officer, but his people skills sorely lacked. "I apologize for him. He's new. I'm Kyle Perry. I'm the head of this investigation. Which one of you is Molly Rose?"

"It's Mal. Is Emma okay? Office Humbert said she couldn't breathe?"

"Emmalin has allergies and asthma. Apparently she had a bad reaction to something and she couldn't breathe properly. We found a nebulizer machine in her cabin along with an epi-pen. She's alright now. The social worker is sitting in with her and a nurse right now."

"Can I see her?" Everything else, every other question, could wait right now. All that mattered to Mal was seeing her baby.

Kyle led them down the hall and paused outside a room that had the curtains drawn shut on the glass viewing wall. "Later on we will need to do a cheek swab for added confirmation and then we need to talk."

"Yeah, yeah. I just want to see my baby."

Knowing not to aggravate matters, Kyle opened the door and walked the women inside. This mother had been waiting long enough for her daughter. "Lily, this is Mal. She's Emma's mother. Ms. Rose, this is the social worker, Lilith Page."

Mal gave the briefest of acknowledgements to the woman in the armchair. Her eyes were transfixed on the tiny toddler wearing only a pull-up. Wires and monitors were attached all over Emma's chest. Blue eyes stared fearfully up at her. The same face that haunted her day in and day out was finally there before her, alive and terrified. Mal was tempted to just snatch her baby up and run her fingers through pale blonde curls. Instead, she sat on the bed slowly and smiled at her baby through tears in her eyes.

"Hi, Emma. I'm your mommy."


	2. Chapter 2

" _Hi, Emma. I'm your mommy."_

Emma just stared at this strange woman crying on her bed. She didn't know her, but her voice sounded familiar.

Mal pulled out her phone and scrolled until she found the picture she wanted. She held the device out to her baby, showing her a picture of the day she was born. Mal was in her hospital gown clutching a newborn Emma to her chest.

The tiny blonde reached out to touch before staring owlishly up at the woman.

"That's you when you were just a brand new hatchling. Would you like to see more pictures?"

At Emma's nod, Mal moved closer on the bed, getting herself more comfortable. She started showing Emma all the photos she had from those precious few days at the hospital. Emma had moved so she was sitting thigh to thigh with her as she curiously studied each photo.

"Dat me?" Emma's chubby little finger pointed to Mal's phone. It was currently showing a photo of Emma in the NICU hooked up to a bunch of machines. She was in a tiny diaper with a monitor on her heel, electrodes on her chest, and a breathing tube in her nose. It was before they had covered most her face with a blindfold to do phototherapy.

"Yes, baby. That was brand new you. You're so big now."

"Mommy lots pitures me, but no dees."

Mal stiffened at the mention of her baby calling someone else mommy. She looked down at Emma, who was intensely studying the photos on the phone, her little finger leaving smudges as she slowly went back and forth through them."The policeman said you were on a boat. Were you on vacation?"

Emma shook her head no, green eyes lifting up to meet blue. "Lib der."

"You live on a boat?"

"You too?"

Mal shook her head no. Emma was looking at her so intently, head cocked to the side as if they were discussing something serious and she wanted to drink every word in. "No, Emma. I live in a house on land. Have you ever been to one?"

"You tay me?"

"Of course! Nothing will ever keep me from you again."

Emma smiled, revealing two rows of perfectly white tiny teeth. Her canines were sharply pointed, and Mal couldn't help but chuckle at the fact her baby looked like she was part beast. Her breath hitched when Emma dared to crawl into her lap.

"Mal, the police have information you might like to hear."

Emma and Mal looked over at Kat who was standing in the doorway watching them, a mix of anger and awe in her eyes.

"You Mal? Mommy say me nodder mommy somewheres named Mal. She dwagon."

Mal smiled and finally allowed her arms to wrap securely around Emma in a hug, the chubby finger poking her in the cheek. "I am your mommy, baby. You want to see me dressed as Maleficent?"

"Molly, I know you don't want to leave, but you really need to hear what the police officer has to say."

Emma pouted up at the stranger, not ready to relinquish her. The woman made her feel safe, and this place was scary without her mommy and daddy. "You go?"

Mal turned to glare at Kat as she pulled her baby close. "No, honey. I'm not going anywhere. Kat, send him in then because I'm not leaving."

Kathryn stared transfixed at the toddler in her sister's arms. She didn't think the two could look more identical if they tried. It was a wonder the two idiots got away with claiming Emma as theirs without question.

"Kathryn!"

Her sister's voice snapped Kat out of her trance. A slight blush crept into her cheeks as she apologized before leaving the room to fetch the police officer and Ruby.

Ruby raced past Kat and into the room, eager to see her best friend's baby. Once she set eyes on the tot, she knew she'd recognize the tiny blonde anywhere. She and her mother could be clones. "Mal, she's gorgeous!"

"Who you?" Emma certainly wasn't shy. She'd spent all her life on a ship meeting new people every few weeks. There was no time for being shy when she had so much to do every day.

"I'm Ruby. Your mommy is my best friend."

Mal nodded and scooted over on the bed to let Ruby sit down as Emma studied her best friend. She desperately hoped the two would get on. "We've been best friends since we were younger than you. Ruby is going to be around a lot."

"Yup. I've got a little one just a bit older than you. You'll love her. Awe, Mal, we'll finally have mini besties. We can have them do all the matching outfits and everything!"

"You stay ship me?" Emma cocked her head, hoping they would come live on the ship with her so that she could show them all the fun she had every day.

Mal looked at Ruby, brows furrowing. How was she going to help Emma adjust to living on land after a lifetime on boat?

"Well, I think you should try living on land for a while, Little Mermaid. Have you ever been on a pony? My little one loves riding the ponies at the zoo."

"Ponies?" Emma squealed and practically jumped onto Ruby's lap in excitement. She'd seen ponies on TV but they never came on the ship.

"Yup, mini ponies just your size. You sit on them and they go round in a circle. What are your favourite things to do on the ship?"

"Tea time."

Ruby entertained and distracted Emma while Mal turned to face the officer.

"Detective Perry, what's wrong? You said I had time to spend with Emma."

The man looked sheepish as he rubbed a hand through his hair rather aggressively. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a pissed off teen mama bear. "Well, one of the suspects we caught insists he has information about the main suspect in Emmalin's kidnapping case."

"Why does that involve me?"

Kat could see her sister wasn't going to handle it well. Better Mal's ire be taken out on her than on the officer and risk getting arrested. "Mal, honey, it was David and Mary. They stole Emma."

"What?!"

"They took her. Mary is the one who snuck into the NICU posing as a nurse. David served as distraction. They finally looked at security tape from a week before Emma was taken. They went floor to floor casing the hospital and mapping out paths to escape. David's in custody right now. He has information to bring in Mary Margaret, but he will only give the information to you."

Mal felt like she wanted to throw up and hit something simultaneously. David had been her lover. He was Emma's father. How could they do this? A million emotions ran through her as that settled in, the most prominent being overwhelming sadness and outrage. Kat gripped Mal's upper arms and stared down at her little sister, waiting until she had her full attention.

"Molly? As your sister I say let him rot. As your lawyer, I advise going to talk to him. Until Snow is arrested as well, you'll never have peace of mind to just be with Emma. You have your baby now. Talk to him to get Mary arrested and put this chapter behind you."

"You weave me?"

The little voice broke through Mal's fury. She turned and knelt in front of the bed, staring eye to eye with her baby. "I'm not ever going to let you go, Emma. You're my baby. I have to go talk to someone, but I'll be back. Can I leave Ruby with you? I need someone very special to keep an eye on her."

Ruby shot a questioning look at her best friend. "You going to be okay?"

"No, but I have no choice. I will text you when I'm on the way back. Keep her safe, Rubes. I'm counting on you."

Ruby nodded and hugged Mal. "Love you, hon. Give them hell."

Mal hugged Emma tightly. "I promise I'm coming back. I'll even bring you a present. What would you like?"

"Dwagon!"

Mal nodded, hoping dragons were more popular in Florida than they were in Tennessee. She hugged Emma once more before exiting the room with her sister and Detective Perry.

"I want an officer on guard outside this room until Emma can go home. They should know Mary Nolan's face. No one gets into this room without permission from Molly. Is that clear?" Kat was in her take charge lawyer mode. Her successful track record proved she was a force to be reckoned with. If she could win for complete strangers, she damn sure was going to win for her baby sister and her niece.

Detective Perry just nodded, dumbfounded at the way the woman took charge. He directed a few men to stay outside the room before driving Mal and Kat to the station.

"He was very adamant that Ms. Rose speak to him _alone._ We really need to bring in Mrs. Nolan. Felix and Peter insist that she is the lynchpin on how the drugs got onto the cruise ship. Rich adults on a week long cruise with their screaming brats, limited daycare spots onboard makes for easy targets. Try and get as much out of him as you can about Mary. Focus on Mary.'

Kat gripped Mal's upper arms as she stared her down. "Mallie, you sure you're ready to do this?"

Blue eyes stared up at her sister. To anyone else, they'd see determination. Kat knew her sister though. She could see the pain and fear. "I've got to."

"You can leave at any time. Don't hurt sooner you find out where Snow is the sooner we can go back to Emma." Kat pulled her sister in for a quick hug of reassurance and to give Mal a little confidence.

"Excuse me, but Snow? Is that a drug reference?"

The two blondes turned to stare at the officer. Kat just rolled her eyes. "Snow as in Snow White. David and Mary played Snow White and Prince Charming at Disney World."

"You broke up an iconic Disney couple?"

Mal let out an annoyed huff. "I was barely eighteen. He was twenty six and didn't tell me he was married. He stole my sick newborn from the NICU. I'm not the bad person here. I was a teenager who fell for the charms an older, married man used to seduce his way into my pants until he got me pregnant. After that he didn't even know my name. As you can see, Snow and her prince are still together."

Kat stepped between her pissed off sister and the cop. "Molly, focus. Your story is going to win us Emma's case in court. Right now, you've got to help put them away for longer on drug charges."

"Come with me!"

"Mal, he asked for you only."

"Just stand by the door and stare him down. Please! I need my sister."

David looked up as the door to his interrogation room finally opened. His smile of relief quickly turned to a glare when Kat stepped into the room with Molly.

"Don't even start. Kat is staying or I leave."

"Fine. How's Emma? The cops wouldn't tell me."

Blue eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. "How dare you! How's Emma? Why the hell do you have her in the first place? How could you do that to me, to my baby?"

"She's my baby too."

"No, David. Your chance to be a father was when I told you about the pink plus sign. You chose to abandon me and my baby. I tried! I sent you the time for every appointment. _YOU_ chose not to be there for any of it. Are you proud that you kidnapped your sick newborn from the hospital? Are you proud that you ripped a child from her mother?"

"You don't understand. I couldn't lose Mary Margaret. Mary and I have been together since we were thirteen. I've never been caught before you. You weren't supposed to get pregnant, especially not right after the doctors told her that even with in vitro there was no hope of her ever having a baby. She's wanted nothing more than to have kids since as long as I can remember. Knowing she could never have kids and then you telling me you were pregnant with my child drove her off the deep end."

"You mean trying to kill me was sane Snow? It felt like she was off the deep end to me."

David looked genuinely confused. "What? When?"

"A week before I found out I was pregnant she confronted me as I was leaving the costume department. She backed me into a corner and choked me out. It took three people to pull her off me. You expect me to believe you didn't know? The entire park knew by sundown."

"Molly, we aren't here to rehash the past. Emma is waiting on us."

Mal nodded at her sister, closing her eyes to take a deep breath. "Where is Snow, David? I want to return to my baby."

"You can't take Emma away from me! I've taken care of her for two years now."

"Had you attempted to take care of her when I told you I was pregnant then I would have let you have shared custody. You chose not to. You _stole_ my baby from the NICU. She was born early, and her little lungs weren't developed yet. You shouldn't have had these past two years. I should have, so I will not be letting you anywhere near her ever again. Where is your fucking wife, David?" Mal abruptly stood, slamming her palms onto the metal table. The chair skidded backwards before toppling over from the jarring movement.

Kat stepped forward and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder to calm her down. "David, you're going to be lucky to even be out of jail by the time Emma is an adult. I suggest you cooperate and tell where your wife is otherwise any consideration for cooperation you might receive won't exist."

"Please. My mom will come get me out of this. How much do you want to just make this go away? Emma's _my_ daughter. Do you know her favourite colour? What's her favourite movie? Do you know what to do when she gets sick? If she has an asthma attack? She's never been off the boat longer than a few days at a time. Do you know her favourite comfort item? Does she even have her blanket with her? Emma can't sleep without it. She must be so scared."

Mal gave the table a little shove, her eyes ablaze with anger. "You piece of shit! I don't know my daughter because _you_ took her from me. You never gave me the opportunity to know her. I was bleeding out after bringing her into this world and you fucking just waltzed in and took her. Emma wouldn't even have lung problems had she had proper time in the NICU to strengthen her lungs. _YOU_ robbed her of a healthy life. You're lucky I don't kill you where you sit you pathetic excuse for a human being."

David was honestly terrified. He'd never seen Molly so mad before. He tried to push his chair backwards to create some space only for him to tumble backwards, sending himself and the chair crashing to the floor. "Emma is still my daughter. I won't be in much trouble for taking my own child."

"You cased out a hospital and then stole _my_ sick newborn preemie from her isolette causing her permanent health problems. You took her to other countries. Do you realize that you've made it an international kidnapping case? That's at least twenty years in prison, prison, David. Do you get it? This isn't something your mommy can buy you out of. Now, don't make me ask again. Where is Snow?"

"I don't know."

Growling, Mal stalked over and made sure to practically stand on top of him. "Bullshit. She wouldn't go somewhere without you knowing. You planned to steal my baby. You may be dumb enough not to plan a contingency if the police were on to you, but Snow isn't. Where did she go?"

"Okay, okay. Don't hurt me. I want a deal before I tell you. I want a lawyer."

Kat sighed and pulled Mal away from the cowering man on the floor. "We need to wait, Moll. I passed the bar to practice law in Tennessee, not Florida. I need the DA in here and he needs to get a lawyer in here before we can proceed."

"Fucking shit steals my daughter and now he gets the protection of a lawyer? This is bull! Kathryn, Emmalin could have _died!_ They're lucky her worst problem is asthma. Please don't- "

"I know, Molly. I won't." Kat abruptly cut off her sister, knowing she was about to breakdown and plead not to let him get away with this. There was no way she would allowed that, but she didn't want this scumbag to have any sort of leverage over her. He would never have advantage over her little sister ever again. "Let's go wait for the lawyers to arrive."

It took a half hour before both lawyers arrived. The DA wasn't far, but David's lawyer took his sweet time arriving. It was clear this lawyer was sleazy, that he was used to working with rich clients.

"My client agrees to tell you where his wife is, why they took Emma, what he knows about the people involved in the case, and how to care for Emma _if_ you take the death penalty off the table and bring Emma to see him once a month."

Mal's eyes widened as she looked in utter shock to her sister for help. There was no way she'd allow that to happen. Kat just placed a reassuring hand over her sister's closed fist. "Mr. Nolan kidnapped his own premature newborn from a hospital he cased out prior to abducting her. That's premeditated parental kidnapping which he turned into an international crime by putting her on a cruise ship to foreign countries. He's never seeing that precious little girl again."

"That's my daughter! You can't keep her from me!" David had blanched at the thought of the death penalty, but he was more focused on Emma being kept from him. "I want to see her."

"You want? Seriously? I told you I was pregnant and you abandoned me as if the news gave you third degree burns. I wish it had. I really do. You tried to pay me off to never see you again just like you tried to pay me off to not pressing charges. You're going to withhold how to care for my child now? Absolute shit of a human being, Charming. Fuck you!"

"I believe you did that Ms. Rose. That's how you have the source of our current problem."

Kat had to physically hold Mal back from attacking the lawyer. "David, you've been playing this game too long. You cared for Emma, kept her healthy and alive. Tell my sister what she needs to know to take care of her daughter. If you care for Emma at all, you'll do this free of stipulations."

David took a moment to confer with his lawyer. "Fine, I'll share the basics, but I want to see Emma once a month in exchange for where Mary is."

"Absolutely not."

"Ms. Nolan, with all due respect, a visit-"

"DA Spencer, you can't honestly expect my sister to allow her daughter's kidnapper to have visits with the baby. If your damn detectives did their job they'd find the flighty princess. Don't punish my sister and her child further by forcing her to do this. Molly and Emma are not responsible for making your case. _You_ are."

"I'll leave that bit up for the judge to decide then. We'll take the death penalty off the table _if_ you give up your wife and all information you have on the people you're working for."

David just nodded at the DA, his gaze locked on Mal. "I'll tell you, and then I want everyone out but Mal. I'll tell her Emma's schedule alone."

"My sister is staying with me."

"Can't resist my charm?" David scoffed. "If you can't act like an adult for five minutes, how do you think you can care for a toddler? You're still a child."

Mal growled. "Kat's going to keep me from killing you, and you don't know me anymore. You never knew me at all. I grew up a lot when I found out I was pregnant. _You_ have put me through hell for two years. Two years, David, without my baby, wondering if she was even alive. I may be young, but _I_ am not a monster."

"Mr. Nolan, where is your wife?"

"Mary is, no, I need the promise that no one will hurt her first."

The DA was getting annoyed at this point. "Sir, you understand that if you don't tell us, we _will_ find her eventually and you will most likely have the death penalty on the table here? The drugs you two brought onboard the ship killed people."

" _I_ never brought any of those bags on. Peter or Felix would sometimes give Snow a black duffle bag. We were ordered never to look inside, to just give it to Minnie and never speak of it. Men aren't allowed to be in the female sections of the crew cabins so Snow had to just drop it off at Minnie's door. The zippers were locked with some fancy thing you needed a fingerprint to open. We didn't know."

"Minnie?"

David ran a hand through his hair, nodding at the DA. "Uh, yeah. Minnie Mouse, never caught her real name. She's been Minnie for like twenty years though. We didn't question anything. It didn't seem like we were doing anything so terrible, and with the people we owed money to, well carrying a small duffle on a few times seemed more than manageable."

"What people? Why would you need to owe anyone money? Your family is loaded." Mal stared at David, utterly confused why he'd need money.

"My family, my mom, is yeah. Mary can't have kids, and my mom got angry that I refused to leave her and cut us off. We borrowed some money from this lady. Felix is her son, and he asked us to take the bags. Eleanor is terrifying, and she was already pissed enough at us. We didn't need her angry over refusing her son something so we did what was asked. I've seen her hurt people for less. It was just a stupid duffle bag."

Blue eyes widened in shock before Mal leaned over the table to stare David down. "Your broke ass is getting shaken down by a loan shark. You're involved in drug deals, and you honestly expect my daughter to stay with you? I have a stable job and an actual home. You're such a joke." Mal turned to Kat, face full of annoyance. "This is a waste of my time. I can have the hospital give me her medical records. Let's go."

The DA tried to block the door, but Kathryn glared him down, pointing out the penalties for detaining someone illegally.

"If you leave, I won't tell them where Snow is."

The room turned to David, stunned. His lawyer tried to convince him to be smart about this, but David was solely focused on Mal. DA Spencer pleaded with the girl until she stood next to the door, arms firmly crossed over her chest. Anger radiated off both Rose women.

"Emma gets up at 5am. She's generally grumpy, but it takes nearly an hour to get her ready for her mandatory breakfast activities at 6am. She sometimes has morning activities to do before doing to the daycare to nap at 9am and she stays there until about 11am when she does some activities before lunch. After lunch she usually goes to daycare until 4pm when there's Alice's Tea Time. She has an Alice costume and she gets very angry if she misses it. There's activities until dinner at 6pm and then she gets a bath and gets put down to sleep. Emma hates falling asleep at night. She fights as hard as she can, demanding stories and songs, water, just anything to stay up. We allow one story or song before closing her door and letting her throw a fit until she's asleep."

The casualness in which David just told her that he lets Emma throw a fit every night instead of comforting her pissed Mal off further. "I don't care about her schedule, David. I'm not about to keep that. I don't live on a boat. I care about what medicines she takes and why, how often, things like that."

"You have to keep her schedule. I signed a seven year contract with Disney for Emma to be their face of Disney Cruises. She loves being on the ship. It's all she knows!"

David's lawyer pulled him back down in his chair to prevent him from doing something stupid. "David, please just tell the girl what Emma's current medical problems are so we can get to Mary's whereabouts so that you don't face the death penalty. It's been given for far less than drug trafficking, bribery, and kidnapping. You realize these are felony charges?"

"Don't forget the accessory to murder after the fact. We have people willing to testify that you and Mary both knew there were drugs in those duffle bags after Donald Mallard's death, and you still made another delivery. There's also endangering the welfare of a child in the second degree. The charges just keep growing at this point and we've only just begun."

"My mom- "

DA Spencer interrupted, shaking his head. "Your mother cannot buy you out of this trouble. This isn't New York where idiotic youth crimes can be swept under the rug with a new addition to the school you attend or funding the charity ball the police department holds. You are facing multiple, multiple felonies."

"There must be a deal!" David panicked internally. He was starting to sweat profusely as the truth started to sink in.

"This is the deal, Mr. Nolan. We take the death penalty off the table as a possible sentence and you give us your wife and all the information you can. This isn't a game, son. My detectives and I have been working this case a long time. I've seen a lot of crazy cases come across my desk as DA here, but arresting Snow White and Prince Charming for drugs and kidnapping is something I never expected."

"Emma has pretty severe asthma. When the humidity gets too high she needs to be kept indoors to prevent an attack. She's very fair skinned so she burns easily too. She's got a panda bear nebulizer to deliver breathing treatments and a cow head steam inhaler for congestion relief. Emma won't take a hospital nebulizer without a fight. I think she's scared of them. The animals make it a bit easier on her. The kitchen staff keeps her on a strict diet. She has never had red meat. She rarely has chicken or turkey. There's a lot of seafood, fruits, and vegetables. She isn't allowed junk food or candy. We don't let Emma watch TV outside of the daycare unless she's sick. Her favourite movies are _Maleficent_ and _Sleeping Beauty._ She does know who you are. Mary made sure of it."

"I've been to see her before I had to waste my time being here. I know she knows who I am. She would never have had to not know me had you not taken her. How did you get her care after you took her from the NICU?"

David sighed and leaned back in his chair, perturbed by Mal's anger when he was trying to help her here. "We hired a private doctor who had a bunch of equipment. Eleanor stayed with Emma while we went on the cruise the first few times. She wanted to ensure we actually had paychecks coming in. When Emma was declared healthy, we took Disney up on their offer for Emma to work. she's been the face of Disney Cruises since she was three months old."

"You let some ruthless loan shark keep my baby as an insurance policy while you and Snow jetted off on week long cruises to the Caribbean? What the hell were you thinking?"

Kat grabbed Mal around the waist to keep her from launching herself across the room to strangle David. "We're done here. David, you're an absolute moron and I hope the judge rejects whatever plea deal you make. Molly, enough! Let's go!"

Mal let her sister forcibly guide her from the room. She wanted to kill David, to make him suffer for all he'd put her and Emma through. Kat barely grabbed her as her knees gave the second the door to the interview room closed, sobbing uncontrollably. The detectives standing around quickly scattered to give them some privacy.

"Shh. It's going to be okay now. We have Emma. David is in jail. He's going to be going to prison for at least twenty years just for the count of kidnapping Emma alone. They're going to find Mary. Your daughter wanted a dragon. What do you say we go find one so we can return to her?"

Allowing Kat to clean her face with a kleenex, Mal followed absentmindedly back to the squad car. The went to three different department stores before finding a boutique store that had a dragon plushie that didn't look demented. Mal just hoped Emma liked the colour lavender. The stuffed animal had lavender and chamomile inside its belly which she thought would be perfect to help Emma relax. She also bought some baby slipper socks and a teal coloured baby blanket with sealed violet ribbon tags.

The first noises they heard when the entered the floor Emma was on was ear piercing shrieking. It got louder as the turned down the hall for Emma's room. Mal turned to look at Kat before they both rushed into the room. Emma was sobbing uncontrollably, shrieking and fighting to get away from the social worker and Ruby who were trying to keep the tot on her bed.

"Emma, baby? Honey what's wrong?" Mal dumped the gifts and pushed her way over to Emma, who launched herself at Mal. Her tiny arms nearly choked Mal out.

Kat watched in horror. Emma was completely red faced, struggling to breathe, nose running. She was glad at that moment she wasn't being used as a snot rag. "What happened, Ruby?"

"I don't know. One minute she was fine and the next she was sobbing and screaming for Mal. I think she just wanted her mom."

"I'm just going to step outside and fetch a nurse. Perhaps you can focus on keeping Emmalin calm." The social worker stepped out of the room as Ruby backed up so that there was a large berth between the bed Mal was cradling Emma on and their positions near the door.

"Shh, Emma. You're alright. Mommy's here. Shh." Mal rocked her baby, trying to quell the tears. It broke her heart to see Emma so upset.

It took twenty minutes to calm Emma. The doctor came back in with the social worker. Emma refused to let Mal go as she was checked over and had a breathing mask put back over her nose and mouth. Pouting, Emma fixed a glare on the doctor, tracking his movements until he left again.

Lily watched the interaction between the young girl and the toddler. Already the tot seemed attached to the young blonde. She'd been doing this for twenty years and seen more than her share of horrible endings for innocent children. She may not think the girl old enough or mature enough to raise a child, but the love was clearly there which was more than a lot of families she'd seen had.

Kat's phone startled blaring, jolting Emma's sleepy head up of Mal's shoulder with a fresh round of tears. Mal glared before trying to distract Emma with her new dragon toy. "Sorry, Moll. It's Mom. She's at the airport trying to get a flight out."

Ruby, tired of standing, slowly made her way over and plopped down next to Mal as the trip stretched out on the bed. It was a tight squish for Mal and Ruby to fit, but they made it work. Ruby knew her friend needed her right now.

Emma pulled the mask down off her mouth while looking up into sapphire blue eyes. "No go. No weave Emma 'gin."

"No, baby. I'm not leaving you ever again. Mommy is here now."

The trio didn't move, not even when a nurse came in to do cheek swabs for the DNA test. Mal had her head resting on Ruby's shoulder, rubbing Emma's back the entire time a detective came in to ask more questions a few hours later. Kat made sure to come back in the room for that. She wasn't going to let her little sister get tricked or taken advantage of. She knew Molly was in an incredibly raw, vulnerable state at the moment. She pulled up a chair next to the bed on the other side of Mal. The detective got the clear message that Mal wasn't alone, that she was fiercely loved and protected.

"You're saying Mr. Nolan isn't on Emmalin's birth certificate?"

"No, he isn't. I have the original right here if you'd like to make a copy."

The entire room turned to look at Ingrid, who waltzed through the door with a large suitcase wheeling behind her, looking like she just walked off the runway.

"Mama?"

Ingrid heard the emotion behind the word as her baby's voice cracked. She bypassed the police officer and made her way over to the bed, leaving her suitcase just out of the way of the door. "It's late, Molly. I'm here now. Rest, both of you." She smiled down at the sleepy toddler who eyed her warily.

"Mommy, he took her. David took my baby."

"There'll be time to cry later, sweetheart. You don't want to upset Emma. I brought you your blanket." Ingrid covered daughter, granddaughter, and her daughter's best friend in before kissing each of them on the top of their heads.

"Mom, we really have to talk."

"Later, Kathryn. I was informed that both recliners fold out for beds. Get in one and sleep."

Kat huffed and moved to pull one of the recliners closer to the bed while Ingrid kicked the detective out of the room. She turned to eye Lily as she moved the other recliner between the bed and the door so she was the first line of defense for anyone coming into the room.

"I don't know who you are, but it's time you leave."

"I'm Lily, the social worker. I cannot leave until a judge has signed off that Emmalin is safe with Molly. Her home must be evaluated. The DNA test must come back. I can't leave, but you're welcome to forget I'm here. It's better for my notes."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow. "Dear, there's six police officers outside this door along with an entire team of hospital staff. I don't care if you're the president. Take yourself elsewhere until morning."

Huffing, Lily took herself to the waiting room after directing the officers to keep a closer eye on the group in with her newest charge. Emma seemed like a genuinely happy little girl, but she didn't know what the girl had been through. She had no idea if her life on the cruise ship was alright or not. The charges against her father and his wife were staggering, and something in her called to give her best efforts to this little girl. If her mother proved a good fit, she could honestly say her decision not to retire early was worth it.

Ingrid retrieved a blanket from her suitcase and covered Kathryn up, kissing her temple. "Sleep well my dears. Mama is here to keep everyone safe."

Mal felt safer at the utterance of those words. Kat did too. She wanted to protect Mal as much as possible, but this was emotionally taxing on her as well. With their mom there, she could step back a bit and start to process. Emma really didn't the sentiment or the memo because she laid wide awake on Mal's chest idly playing with strands of Mal's long blonde hair.

"Baby, why don't you want to sleep? It's way past time for you to sleep."

Emma pulled her mask off and looked up at Mal. "Sing."

Mal rubbed Emma's back as she softly sang her baby to sleep. This wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd get to do, and it caused her to tear up. It took hours for them to all fall asleep between their own emotional turmoil, the noises, and the staff constantly coming into the room to check Emma. Ingrid was the lightest sleeper, and up before everyone else. She found Emma laying quietly on top of Mal just playing with Mal's hair and tracing patterns with her little finger on Mal's shirt.

"Emma." The tiny blonde head whipped around to stare at her. "I'm your Nana Ingrid."

"Mom?"

Emma and Ingrid turned their attention to a very groggy Mal. Smiling, Ingrid walked over and smoothed some of her baby's long waves out of her face. "I'm going to shower and then go find a place for breakfast. Would you like anything in particular my sweet girl?"

"Apple pancakes if you can find them. Otherwise a few pieces of toast with grape jelly and a dip egg would be good. Coffee, lots of coffee."

"Alright," Ingrid nodded. "What can we get for Miss Emma?"

"She is allergic to walnuts, pecans, and oranges for food allergies. I would recommend you ordering from our kitchen to ensure the food is prepared away from those products. Are we feeling better this morning, Emma?" A nurse waltzed in and started taking Emma's vitals.

Emma hid her face in Mal's chest, mask and all. She didn't like this strange place, and all these new people were overwhelming. It wasn't fun like all the new people on the ship. Mal wrapped her arms around Emma and rubbed her back.

"When Emma's hungry, order her some food, baby. I'm going to go shower. If you need me, shout." Ingrid wheeled her suitcase into the bathroom with her and locked the door.

Kat and Ruby were awake by the time Ingrid's shower was done. Ruby excused herself to call Jefferson and to use an open bathroom in the hall. Kat gave her mother her breakfast order before going to shower. It gave Mal fifteen minutes of solid bonding time with Emma. They were silent, just staring and absorbing each other. Ruby barged back in, boisterous and peppy as usual. It frightened Emma a bit at first, but Ruby's photos quickly occupied the tot.

The door slid open not long after Ruby had settled herself on the bed again next to Mal and Emma. They gave no thought to it, assuming it was a doctor or the social worker returning. A throat cleared, causing them all to look up. Mal's face blanched as she took in the woman in the doorway. Ruby eyed the old woman with golden blonde hair tinged with sections of grey. She was surprised when Mal secured Emma in her lap before standing up and moving to block the woman's path to Emma.

"You need to leave!"

Emma started crying, trying to get back to Mal. Ruby secured her hold on the slippery, skinny little girl.

"It's not in your best interest to have me leave, dear. I have something you can't give Emmalin. All you need to do is drop the charges against David."

"You've lost your mind, Ruth. I want _nothing_ from you or David _ever_ again!" Mal's hands curled into fists as she tried to curb her anger. She couldn't believe the woman's audacity to show up here and bribe her.

Ruth pulled out her checkbook and quickly scribbled out a check for $300,000. She placed it on the end of the bed before appraising the girl she hadn't seen in over two years. "Don't be stupid, child. I can afford things for Emmalin you could only dream of. Meet me tomorrow at 11:00am, The Mulberry on Orange and 12th. The maître d will be expecting you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'd say of course, but there's no excuse for you."

Ruth turned on her heel and left, leaving Mal to stare dumbfounded after her as Ingrid moved into the room carrying a few plastic bags full of to-go containers.

"Molly, honey, who was that?"

Mal's entire face crumbled, already on the verge of tears, as she fell into her mother's arms. "That was David's mother."


End file.
